Page 42 of Trusting a Cowgirl

Once she asked him to dinner, there was no turning back.

Not that she wanted to.

They continued walking down the street quietly in their own thoughts. A thrill rocketed through her. The warmth of his hand on her arm lingered and her stomach flipped over and over, turning her insides into mush.

The only thing that kept her grounded was the taste of her candy cane and the cold air that cooled her heated face.

“What’s good around here? I haven’t been exploring since I arrived.”

Grace gestured down the street. “There’s this diner that everyone loves. They serve the best apple pie. I wouldn’t be surprised if they put something illegal in it.” She chuckled, then sobered when she met his gaze.

Shoot. Another thing wrong? Riley had issues with alcoholism, but did he have problems with controlled substances too?

She took a bite of her candy cane and crunched it between her teeth. “They have a lot of other stuff too,” she mumbled.

They entered Sal’s Diner and took a seat by the front window. The few waitresses who were working hustled back and forth from the kitchen to the tables. Then one finally materialized at their sides and held out a menu. Her name tag saidHopeand she poised her notebook with her pencil at the ready. “What can I get you two to drink?”

“I’ll just have a water.” Grace looked at Riley, who nodded.

“Same.”

Hope nodded. “Coming right up.” She hurried away and Riley set his gaze on Grace.

It was hard to keep her focus on her menu with him staring at her like that. Every time she glanced at him, his focus seemed to get deeper, firmer. Finally, she sighed and put the menu down. “What now?”

He shifted in his seat, then grabbed the napkin at his side. His nimble fingers unwrapped the paper holding it in a roll and he released his cutlery. “Why did you ask me to come to dinner with you?”

The pounding in her heart was so loud she was sure he could hear it over the hum of the guests in the restaurant. “Why not? We’re all the way out here. I figured it would be nice to get something to eat that wasn’t from the country club.” She couldn’t meet his eyes. How could she tell him that she wanted him to bring up the possibility of them dating again? Her curiosity had gotten the better of her.

It had come on suddenly. That was the only truth she knew. Each time she caught him staring at her had done something to tear down her defenses. She should have known better than to believe she wouldn’t be worn down—especially with how much time they spent together.

“Grace.”

She jumped and glanced at him that time. His lips twitched at the corners, and as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. “What?”

“Yesterday you said we couldn’t date.”

Great. There it was. She knew he was going to point that out. Grace shrugged.

“Grace…” His voice held a hint of teasing. “I think we need to clear the air on this one.”

The waitress placed two glasses of water in front of them. “Are we ready to order yet?”

Riley shook his head. “Not yet.”

Hope placed the straws on the table. “Take your time. I’ll be back around soon.”

Riley set his eyes on her again. Why was it so hard to admit that she might have been jumping the gun on this whole no-dates thing?

Because she was right not to.

Brielle made it look so easy—doing something that wasn’t quite right just because she wanted to. Grace took a deep breath and let it out, then reached for her straw and twisted the paper off it. “I didn’t say we should start dating. I didn’t even say this was a date.”

“But it is.”

She glanced at him once more. “Do you want it to be?”

He leaned back in his seat and appraised her. “You already know the answer to that.”

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